MIAMI, FLORIDA: After more than 14 hours of deliberation, a judge has announced a mistrial after jurors could not agree on a verdict in the double murder case against rapper YNW Melly. The aspiring rapper was accused of claiming the lives of a couple of his friends, who were also rappers, five years ago and then staged the killings as a drive-by shooting in the Miami area.
According to ABC News, the 24-year-old's case is among the first being considered after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law to lower the threshold for a death sentence to an 8-4 jury vote, from a unanimous vote.
Will YNW Melly be released?
YNW Melly, also known as Jamell Maurice Demons, will not be released as Broward County prosecutors, who had been seeking the death penalty, will likely choose to retry the case with a new jury. A unanimous verdict is required to convict or acquit a defendant. Broward Circuit Judge John Murphy twice asked the jurors to continue cogitations after they said that they were at a dead end but relented after they came back a third time.
What exactly happened on the day of the murders?
According to prosecutors, YNW Melly shot Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr while they were all inside a Jeep. Both the victims were part of the YNW collective, known respectively as YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy. Prosecutors claim that the killings were a result of a gang action while the defense says that the allegation lacks credibility because Demons and the victims were close friends.
Prosecutors alleged Demons, Williams and Thomas were riding in a Jeep driven by Cortland Henry, known as YNW Bortlen, following a recording session in Fort Lauderdale on October 26, 2018. They say Demons fatally shot Williams and Thomas. Henry, who is also charged in the case is set to be tried separately. Prosecutors added Demons and Henry drove the bodies to an area near the Everglades following the murders. There they shot the victims at the back and passenger sides of Henry’s Jeep from the outside to make it appear as if Williams and Thomas had been the victims of a drive-by shooting.
However, ballistics tests show the pair were shot from inside the Jeep, prosecutors say. The defense lawyers claimed that the murder weapon was never recovered and they also told the jurors that YNW Melly had no motive to take their lives.
Melly's fans have started to celebrate
Melly's admirers who are not apparently not well informed about the case, have started to celebrate thinking that the rapper will be freed. One Twitter user said, "Finally we gone have some good music coming out soon", while another echoed, "FREE MELLY!!!!!" One fan wrote, "My hood celebrating for the rest of the day" and another tweeted, "His next hit song trial on my mind about to be fire." 'There's a lot of doubt thats why there was a mistrial", penned one user.
